OSCE MG U.S. Co-chair: our goal is to open channels of communication

September 13, 2013 - 17:51 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net - The Nagorno Karabakh (Artsakh) Republic President Bako Sahakyan met Friday, Sept 13, with the newly appointed U.S. Co-chair of the OSCE Minsk Group, James Warlick.

President Sahakyan congratulated ambassador Warlick on assuming the post and wished him every success.

The meeting focused on the Azerbaijani-Karabakh conflict and the ways to resolve it through peaceful means.

President Sahakyan noted that the biggest obstacle to the conflict settlement is the destructive policy of official Baku, which becomes a threat to the regional peace and stability.

Artsakh Minister of Foreign Affairs Karen Mirzoyan and other officials attended the meeting.

“Our goal is to open the channels of communication. And that's why I'm here - to listen and learn. And I appreciate very much the opportunity to see a beautiful Nagorno Karabakh,” ambassador Warlick said. “I am here to see the possibilies to achieve stable and lasting peace, as well establishment of mutual trust between the people.”

On Sept 12, the diplomat met in Yerevan with Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan, Foreign Minsiter Edward Nalbandian and Defense Minister Seyran Ohanyan.

“I seek to hear every side and their approach to the problem as well as familiarize myself with the situation before I return here with my colleagues,” he told a news conference that followed the meetings.

“I hope for partnership with the Russian co-chair in the conflict settlement efforts,” he said, refusing, however, to comment on whether Armenia’s joining the Customs Union will affect America’s further steps.

The diplomat also urged for political will, compromise and the acknowledgement that the fate of the generations depends on the outcome of the issue in the settlement of the conflict.

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The conflict between Nagorno Karabakh and Azerbaijan

The conflict between Nagorno Karabakh and Azerbaijan broke out as result of the ethnic cleansing launched by the Azeri authorities in the final years of the Soviet Union. The Karabakh War was fought from 1991 (when the Nagorno Karabakh Republic was proclaimed) to 1994 (when a ceasefire was sealed by Armenia, NKR and Azerbaijan). Most of Nagorno Karabakh and a security zone consisting of 7 regions are now under control of NKR defense army. Armenia and Azerbaijan are holding peace talks mediated by the OSCE Minsk Group up till now.

The OSCE Minsk Group

The OSCE Minsk Group was created in 1992 to encourage a peaceful, negotiated resolution to the Nagorno Karabakh conflict. The Minsk Group is headed by a Co-Chairmanship consisting of France, Russia and the United States. The main objectives of the Minsk Process are as follows: Providing an appropriate framework for conflict resolution in the way of assuring the negotiation process supported by the Minsk Group; Obtaining conclusion by the Parties of an agreement on the cessation of the armed conflict in order to permit the convening of the Minsk Conference; Promoting the peace process by deploying OSCE multinational peacekeeping forces.